All you need is tea and warm socks.. In Baguio

Baguio. Oh Baguio. One of my favorite cities up north. The weather, the food (talk about veggies and strawberry taho), the laid-back lifestyle, the people. Its like Cagayan de Oro only colder.

Last November, I went to Baguio with friends/frathousemates. Were supposed to be holding our Christmas party there but not everyone could come so we just cancelled the party but still pushed thru with the trip.

We left Manila Friday night. Apparently, it was a long weekend so there were a sea of people in bus stations. We didnt have ticket reservations so we braved the long lines, with our heavy backpacks. The stresses and madness we went through were unexplainable, so much had happened that night but we gladly got our comfortable seats, and just slept the whole trip. The temperature was around 15degC, of course it was very cold (being from the tropics hihi) when we arrived early morning of Saturday.

And then the rest was history.

Welcome to our humble abode. We loved the place! We stayed in teacher's camp btw.

Cold, eh? My girlfriends Bhebz, Arah and Lei, embracing the coldness.

Baguio is home to bright lovely flowers like this wild sunflower here.

The obligatory couple shot at Cafe by the Ruins. Great food!

Ordered this! One of the best tapas I've tasted my whole life.

Group shot. Happy tummy.

Baguio would not be complete without 'ukay'! :P  My face - priceless! Hey I loved these boots! I was so tempted to buy them but.. Oh you know me and my ever changing mind. haha

One of my favorite photos! We spotted this family chilling, jamming. Here, the daddy is teaching his son how to play the violin! <3 I love Baguio for their parks. Parks are really parks. People utilize it as it is: a safe haven for family bonding, playground, picnic site, etc.

I wish our parks in CDO or Manila are like the ones in Baguio.

Baguio also means, berries - wild blueberries and strawberries.

At our favorite spot, the fireplace! Perfect with wine, marshmallow roasting while catching up. Oh so happy! =)

On our last day in Baguio, we went to Bencab Museum. This was my 2nd time in Baguio but my 1st time in Bencab. I didnt know of this place 3 years ago. So glad I've got the chance to visit it this time. It was awesome! So jealous of the talents these artists have. I love everything here. Will tell you all about this in a separate post. :)

Bought some pasalubong for my friends back home especially this. Hindi pinalagpas. We went back to the market for this. Benguet cofffeeee!

We stuffed ourselves with fruits, pizza, bread, etc. before we left for Manila.

Goodbye Baguio! You were (still) wonderful! It was short but sweet. Hope to bump into you again soon. xo

What holidays are made of

Ola! Wow! Sorry for my absence of late. I almost, almost give up on blogging again. Ive been mia for a few months and now I'm back, inspired on writing about whats going on with my life. Ive been wanting to write sooner but capital sin sloth hit me again. I had to strike back at it. Ive had to.

Im back! Im alive! :)) I feel like I owe my page a lot of posts. Now lets start with the highlights of my December. Of course its my favorite month because I get to home to my family for the long holiday vacation, reunite with old friends, get acquainted with new ones, and spend quality time with my family (extended family included).  Amidst all the crazy here and there Christmas rush, I say I had a blast.

Here with my mama, siblings and my lolo (grandpa).

With my 3 year old niece, Isabelle. Too cute not to mention heavy. haha

 Treated my cousins to one of my favorite restos in town. I heart Mexican food :)

To those who know me by heart, I am not a kitchen person. But Christmas is the best time for me to take charge of the kitchen. To learn what Im weak at. Chicken rosemary is one of my favorite dishes and I really did give my 105% for this recipe. Thanks to my friends and youtube, I made my mama proud! Haha! Look ma! :p Giving myself a lil pat on the back for this one.

Kids, kids. I miss them everyday. Spending more time with these kiddos back at home. Coz man, they grow up so fast.

Of course an annual gathering with my special friends back home. The marines. :)

Seafood is happiness! And I mean 'cheap' seafood at its best.

Someone misses driving! Spending time with this man back in our hometown. He was so happy to be home again after a year, even just for a short period. Reunited with his family and bella (this car).

In awe at all the fireworks on NYE. Goosebumps.

Spending quality time with this man, back at our hometown, with his family and mine. :)

Kulitan with these boys. The two little ones were so happy to see their kuya/uncle once again, which only happens every December. Imagine the lambingan. haha

Priceless. :)

Jollibee and kids. I cant explain the madness children could turn into when they see this giant bee. LOL

The magical place that is Divine Mercy hills. Grateful. Always.

Ladies and gentlemen, my family. The reason of my happiness and my existence. Ultimately, ma famille est ma vie. 


So there goes the summary of how half of my December went. Well more of how my holidays went. I hope you all enjoyed your vacation and your time with your loved ones.

P.S. All photos were taken using my phone.

When boredom strikes

Old notes on facebook that I'd like to share here =)

1. What is your name : Gay

2. A four Letter Word : Game

3. A boy's Name : Gile

4. A girl's Name : Gwen

5. An occupation : Geologist

6. A color : Green

7. Something you'll wear: Gown

9. A food : Granola

10. Something found in the bathroom: Grime (ew!)

11. A place: Garden

12. A reason for being late: Got up late! =p

13. Something you'd shout: Gaaah!!!

14. Movie title: Garden State

15. Something you drink : Green tea

16. A musical group: Gorillaz 

17. An animal : Goat

18. A street name: Gomez Street

19. A type of car: Grand Cherokee

20. The title of a song: Gotta have you (The Weepies)

Rebuild

Let things go,
See with your 'new' eyes,
Stand in the other person's shoes.
Most importantly, stand in your own shoes
And examine where you had lost yourselves along the way


(Modified from Chelangat)

P.S. Thank you for the eye-opener blogpost. =)

Best ideas

To all my friends who persist on asking, what takes me so long in the shower: Here you go. haha

Thank you phd comics for making me (and others out there), SANE.

Link to the source of laughs and relate-able graduate school comics here.